The latest news and information regarding St. Louis car accidents. Car accident attorney Christopher Hoffmann provides useful tips on what to do if you are involved a Missouri auto accident and how you can work to prevent such accidents from happening.

07/13/2017

Underinsured Motorist Claims - St. Louis Car Crash Lawyer

You may find this surprising, but many people don't actually have sufficient car insurance. Our St Louis car crash lawyer comes across this time and time again. People simply haven't got adequate automobile insurance. In essence, they are under protected. It's important to get it right and to know what your legal automobile insurance obligations actually are.

It is important to be aware that you are legally required to have two types of insurance coverage. First, you should have uninsured motorist coverage. The value of this must be at a minimum of $25,000. The other legal requirement for automobile insurance is liability coverage. It covers you for damages caused if you are the driver at fault in a car crash.

There are two types of elective insurance also that you can buy. This will cover you for damage to your vehicle in a crash and for personal injuries. The “med pay” coverage will cover you for personal injury resulting from a car accident. This medical payment cover is in the form of bonds which you can then use to pay for your medical bills after a car accident. Not only does it cover your own medical costs, but it can also be used to pay the medical bills of your passengers if they were in the car at the time of the crash. However, it is worth noting that the insurance will likely not pay all your bills. It will be limited to the cover you have purchased.

Then there is underinsured motorist cover. Even though it's a legal requirement to have liability insurance, unfortunately there are people who try to flout the law and drive without any insurance cover at all. This is why underinsured motorist coverage is important. If your car is damaged or you are injured due to a crash involving a driver that isn't adequately insured, you will be covered for the amount of uninsured cover you have purchased.

It is important understand which insurance products you are legally obliged to buy and you should carefully consider the amount of insurance you need to buy. If you haven't reassessed your insurance policy lately, or you're not sure of the amount of coverage you have, now is the time to get out your paperwork and make sure everything is in order.

If you need to know more about your insurance requirements, or you have been in an accident with a driver who is not adequately covered, you should immediately contact an experienced St. Louis auto accident attorney. Call (314) 361-4242 for a free consultation.